Day 146 Bible Reading - John 16: 33 (ESV)

1 Samuel 17: 38-58, 1 Samuel 18, John 16, Psalm 30: 1-7

John 16: 33 (ESV)

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Verse 33 from John 16 shows Jesus telling his disciples that they can find peace in him, and that in the world they will have tribulation. Jesus promises us peace if we believe in him, but he never promised that our life would be without problems. I know that as a follower of Christ, I often like to think that the Holy Spirit guides me so I don’t have problems. I do think that is true, but that doesn’t mean I won’t have problems. But from what I’ve seen of problems and how I have handled them, I know that God will always use my problems to strengthen my faith in him.

The last line of Verse 33 is where Jesus says that we if look at him, we can be inspired by how he overcame sin by dying on the cross. So even if we do have problems, we must believe that Christ will help us to solve our problems and bring us closer to him. God has a plan for our lives, for good times and bad times. If we believe this, then we will have peace no matter what is happening in our lives. This peace is the freedom that a belief in Christ brings to his followers.

Day 145 Bible Reading - 1 Samuel 16: 7(ESV)

1 Samuel 16, 1 Samuel 17: 1-37, John 15, Psalm 79

1 Samuel 16: 7(ESV)

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Verse 7 from 1 Samuel 16 stood out to me today. I love that God told Samuel what he looks for in people and that he doesn’t see what people see. People look at a person’s outward appearance to judge what is in their heart and the kind of person they are inside. One bible commentary I read said the outward appearance of a person is an idolatry that is widely practiced.

God is different. God can look into the secrets of a person’s heart. When we are unsure about someone, we must pray to God to give us advice on whether to let this person into our lives because God can see into their heart. I also like that it doesn’t matter to God what you look like or what you appear to be on the outside. God only sees what is in our heart and will choose someone who has a heart for God. God will use those who love him and obey him in their heart. So anyone can be chosen by God as long as their heart is for God.

Day 144 Bible Reading - John 14: 26 (ESV)

1 Samuel 14: 24-52, 1 Samuel 15, John 14, Psalm 78: 56-72

John 14: 26 (ESV)

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

Verse 26 from John 14 shows Jesus talking about the Holy Spirit, the Helper. I became more aware of the Holy Spirit after a sermon given by my pastor last year about its role in the life of a follower of Christ. I always knew about the Holy Spirit, but it wasn’t something I had a relationship with as a Christian. I can happily say now that I’ve developed a relationship with the Holy Spirit and rely on it more now for guidance and help.

This verse is one of many regarding the Holy Spirit, and for more information I would look up all the verses using a Bible concordance. The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity along with God and Jesus Christ, and to use and become familiar with all parts of the Trinity is something every Christian needs to do to understand the role of God in their lives.

Day 143 Bible Reading - 1 Samuel 13: 13-14 (ESV)

1 Samuel 12-13, 1 Samuel 14: 1-23, John 13: 18-38, Psalm 78: 40-55

1 Samuel 13: 13-14 (ESV)

“And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

Verses 13 and 14 from 1 Samuel 13 shows Samuel proclaiming God’s judgement over Saul. Saul did not obey God because he was more interested in pleasing himself, his image, and his prestige. Saul did not want to please God because he loved God. Saul wanted to do his will and not God’s will.

I think these verses show that God wants us obey him for the right reasons, not because obeying God will make us great or that God will give us great things and perform miracles in our lives. God wants us to obey him because of our love for him, and because we want to do his will in the world.

For myself, it’s hard to know sometimes if I am choosing to obey God because I know that obeying God will brings good things into my life or because I really want to do God’s will on earth. I think my ego gets in the way, and I have to stop and constantly ask myself why am I doing the thing I’m doing. Am I doing it because it makes me look good to other people? Because it makes me look spiritual and obedient to God? Or, am I doing this thing because I love God and it makes me feel good to see his will done on earth? I think if we keep constantly ask ourselves these questions, we will discern what our motives are and always make sure we are doing things because we love God and want to do his will on earth.